Orangeburg, SC (WLTX) - Orangeburg County deputies have arrested a man they say beat a woman with a piece of wood in front of their children.

Officers took 40-year-old Michael Patterson of Springfield into custody Monday.

Deputies say on Sunday around 1:30 p.m., they responded to a home in Springfield on an assault call. When they got there, they found a female victim with severe injuries to her face.

According to investigators, Patterson had been released from jail Sunday on a charge of beating the same victim. Deputies say he went to the victim's home to collect some of his things and got into an argument with the woman.

Deputies say he then punched the woman in the face, dragged her into the yard, and continued to punch her. They say he then picked up a piece of wood and hit her in the face.

As the assault took place, the couple's children were watching.

Two adults who drove with Patterson to the home then took him away before deputies arrived.

Deputies say the victim suffered broken bones in her face and had to be taken to Palmetto Health Richland for treatment.